http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/ Engadget Comments for Sony's Rocket Project helps students reach the stratosphere, unloads some Vaios in the process (video) http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 12:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 12:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 1:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 12:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 12:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/
Are you saying this is the crew responsible for fixing my fat PS3?]]>Mar 1st 2010 1:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/
Sony CEO: "Damn... the cover story for the PS3 network failure was supposed to launch yesterday! You fools!"

Lowly Sony workers: "Does this mean we get fired?"

Sony CEO: "You're just lucky they're only American high school students..."]]>Mar 1st 2010 7:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/
I thought modern washing machines were more powerful than the original Moon-landing craft? Am I wrong?]]>Mar 1st 2010 12:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/
my washing doesn't seem to be very smart..]]>Mar 1st 2010 1:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/
washing machine i mean..]]>Mar 1st 2010 1:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/
The Apollo Guidance Computer was a 2.048 MHz processor.

Modern embedded devices could range anywhere from, say, an ATTiny13 (10 MHz or so) to fancypants 32-bit processors that can run at upwards of 80 MHz or even more just to handle a few pairs of soiled undergarments.]]>Mar 1st 2010 5:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/You would have to launch all this unnecessary computing power in your rocket, which would then just be dead weight that does nothing, which leads to more fuel needed, limitations on height, so on.

I mean really, does this rocket need to send out it's own twitter feed and play crysis in space too?]]>Mar 1st 2010 12:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/
yes.

]]>Mar 1st 2010 12:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/
Actually, its more complicated than first value. The Apollo systems used pneumatic, not digital controllers for a lot of the controls that operated the lander and launch vehicle. This allowed them to use a much simpler computer to control the flight trajectory.

Still, today, using all digital systems, you need a lot of horsepower.
Also, a lot of computational processing is involved in the aerodynamics design of the rocket, propulsion system, as well as the machine control to mfg to components and parts.

It is a bigger deal that you may realize.

You can see more about Mavericks here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzOSjv6I8JM&feature=related

These are not toys......or model rockets. Ky Michaelson, one of our team flew beyond the Karman line in 2004. That's space!!]]>Mar 1st 2010 2:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/I never said that building a rocket is easy, what meant is that is it really necessary to send a core i5 laptop into the stratosphere? I mean the laptop isn't really meant to be lean, and for a rocket that is only meant to go into the stratosphere and back do you need something with the power of the core i5 (which will guzzle energy needing a larger battery)? I really don't think so, an Intel atom chip can do the job of flying that rocket and be small, light, and sipping energy (which allows for a small battery).

If the Saturn V can make it to space with relatively less horsepower than my netbook, I think that for this mission and for this rocket, a modified netbook with an Atom chip will do the job nicely.

I mean the only reason they are even sending the laptop into space is so sony can get marketing props. ]]>Mar 1st 2010 3:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 11:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 1:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 1:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 1:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 2:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 2:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Answer: Well, I think yes but for humanity preservation instinct PLEASE DO NOT USE WINDOWS! Imagine a BSOD in the most delicate moment of the launch!]]>Mar 1st 2010 10:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 1st 2010 11:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 2nd 2010 4:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/sonys-rocket-project-helps-students-reach-the-stratosphere-unl/Mar 2nd 2010 5:03AM